Weightbearing exercise by itself is insufficient for healthy muscles and bones. Good posture during weight-bearing exercise is essential to activate the deep posture and antigravity muscles and to protect the joints of the body from injury. To counteract the effects of gravity during weightbearing exercise or weightbearing function, good posture and postural cues need to be in operation to activate deep posture and antigravity muscles.
The most important postural cues are: stretching tall (through the crown of the head) with the object of lengthening the spine while lowering the shoulders and shoulder blade; and, drawing in the naval towards the spine without changing spinal position. It is not always easy to intentionally induce these cues. In view of the cost to society of back injuries and bone disorders, and the inconvenience to a large proportion of the population of back discomfort, good bone and muscle health is highly desirable.
In view of the emphasis on—and need for—good bone and muscle health, there is a need for ways of activating deep posture and antigravity muscles as a preliminary to or during weightbearing exercise or weightbearing function. However, there is no widely available technique or exerciser that meets this need.
The availability of such a postural exercise device would also be useful for the diagnostic application of musculoskeletal disorders in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and for gravity simulation in Space. However, in the latter use the postural exercise device would not need to replicate the Gravity Simulation Suit used by Russian astronauts, but merely be a specific neck, and upper and lower body exerciser for enhancing neuro-muscular control.
It is an aim of the invention to provide an exerciser and method of using the same which meets the foregoing needs.